Research Shows a Surprising Link Between Alcohol Consumption and Brain Health
Don't run to the bar just yet
Though there was an association found in this study, we are far from understanding how alcohol works to protect our brain and our health. We are far from turning this correlation into a proven cause-and-effect relationship.
Some theories think that alcohol affects cholesterol balance within our bodies. Drinking appears to be correlated to increases in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), otherwise known as “good” cholesterol and decreases in low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as the “bad” cholesterol.
Other theories speculate that alcohol may affect some of the clotting factors and platelets in our bloodstream. It’s thought that this effect might slow down the formation of the amyloid plaques in the brain that are known to cause diseases like Alzheimer’s.